corronation st

Coronation Street-Gender

In this scene from Coronation Street the topic of gender is represented in many different ways. One way in which the typical stereotype of men and women is challenged is through the cinematography that is used at the start of the clip. The scene begins with Gail looking over at Todd’s house. A low angle shot has been taken of Gail looking out of her window over to the house and is immediately followed with a high angle shot of Todd looking from his. This goes against the common stereotypes of gender as the shots make it seem as if Gail is dominant over him and makes her seem more powerful than Todd. This is also shown through the facial expressions that the characters use. Gail seems to have an angry aggressive facial expression whereas it looks as if Todd is more frightened and cowering away from her. This goes against the typical gender stereotypes as the male is usually seen as aggressive and more dominant and the women are usually the more timid character. 

Another way in which the gender stereotype is explored through this clip is when Gail and Eileen begin to argue. Diagetic sound is used in this instance to clearly challenge the traditional stereotype of women. The way in which the two women argue clearly goes against the typical gender stereotype as they seem to be very loud and aggressive rather than passive and timid which would usually traditionally be expected from a women. The reaction from the other characters in this scene also adds to the surprise and tension of what the reader is feeling. The camera shows a close up shot of one character covering his mouth which makes it seem more real to the audience because the characters are displaying the same emotions as the audience. Also at this point of the scene Eileen and Todd are dressed in the same colour clothing. This shows that they are family and that they share the same view. This is backed up by the fact that Eileen is defending Todd and defending Gail from getting to him. This shows how the male stereotype has been challenged in the sense that the woman is defending the man going against many gender stereotypes. Both Todd and Eileen are wearing dark colours which have morbid and evil connotations whereas Gail is wearing a light blue colour, which could suggest the audience is supposed to feel more sympathy for Gail and her views. Also Gail is wearing a bath robe throughout the scene. It could be argued that this is another way in which gender is challenged because previous stereotypes have portrayed women as vein and shallow and by Gail going outside in a bath robe it shows she does not conform to this stereotype.

The more traditional stereotype of gender is also shown in this scene through the characters of Sally and Kevin. Sally is arguing with Kevin about getting their children into a school. This conforms to the stereotype of women in the sense that she is very nurturing and the main care giver to the children. Also she is discussing their financial state with Kevin which shows that she does not work which could suggest that she is domesticated which also conforms to the typical female stereotype. Also by asking her husband about money it shows that he is the main provider in the family and it also shows that he is in control of the finances in the family which is also stereotypical of a man.